Combination exercise and amusement device



. Nov. 12, 1963 c. R. BRQMAN ETAL 3,110,497

COMBINATION EXERCISE AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed June l 1, 1962 United States Patent 3,110,497 COMBINATION EXERCISE AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Cyrus R. Broman, Evanston, and Manley K. Hardison, Glenview, Ill., assignors to Sidney A. Tan-son Co., Chicago, III., a corporation of Illinois Filed June 11, 1962, Ser. No. 201,567 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-95) Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a combination exercise and amusement device.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a device of this character which has therapeutic value while at the same time affording considerable amusement and entertainment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination exercise and amusement device which may be adapted for manipulation by one person and which will serve to improve the muscle tone and suppleness of the body while affording the maximum degree of amusement.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such a device constructed in a manner such as affords economical manufacture, resulting in the sale of the article at a relatively low sales price.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention showing the same being manipulated by two persons;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention showing the same being manipulated by one person;

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 1, to enlarged scale.

The several objects of our invention are preferably accomplished by the form of construction now to be described.

In this connection we provide an elongated tube preferably formed of substantially rigid plastic material. To this tube 10 is connected by means of a loop 11 a substantially flexible tubular cord 12 also formed of plastic material. The outer end of the cord 12 in any suitable manner such as by heat welding or the like is connected to a ball 13. .The ball 13 is adapted to orbit around the tube 14 in a manner presently to be explained, the ball serving to keep the cord 12 in a longitudinally extended position and by virtue of the centrifugal action of the ball increases the speed of rotation of its movement through its orbit around the tube 10. While we have specified the element 13 as a ball, it may take any desirable shape as will best serve the purpose.

An elongated flexible cord 14 of a length substantially greater than the length of the tube It and formed preferably of a plastic material is folded upon itself and threaded through the tube 10, the end portions 15 of the cord 14 being tied together as at 16.

\With the, tube 10 embracing the folded cord 14, the opposite ends of the folded cord provide body encircling loops 17 each of which are adapted to embrace the body of a person at a point preferably over the hips, as shown in FIG. 1.

With the loops in the position shown in FIG. 1, the two persons stand a distance apart sufficient to render the folded cord 14 substantially taut. With the cord in this condition, the two persons then rotate the portion of the body encircled by the loops 17, so as to impart an elliptical movement to the tube 10, thereby to effect rotaice tion of the ball about the tube 10 with the tube as an axis. The speed of rotation of the ball about the tube 10 may be controlled by the speed of rotation of the bodies of the two persons encircled by the loops 17.

:The loop 11 is preferably formed by heat-welding the end portion 18 of the cord 12 to the cord in the manner depicted in FIG. 3. The tube 10 serves as a hub for the cord 12 and defines the axis of rotation of the ball 13.

In FIG. 2, the invention is utilized by employing only one of the loops 17 while the opposite end of the folded cord 14 is held firmly by the hand of one of the persons. When thus used, the folded cord 14 is maintained in a substantially taut position. The person about whose body the loop 17 is encircled performs the same movement as the person shown in FIG. 1, to effect rotation of the ball 13 about the hub 10. If desired, the end portions of the folded cord 14 instead of being knotted to provide a loop, may be attached to a stationary object. In this manner the device maybe used by one person.

In use, the device results in substantial therapeutic improvement to the muscle tone of the body while at the same time affording a type of exercise which results in maintaining the body lithe and supple. In addition, the use of the device affords a maximum degree of amusement both for adults as well as children.

I he simplicity of the device affords economical manufacture. As indicated herein, it is preferably intended that the various parts of the device be formed of such plastic material as will best serve the purpose.

.While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. We there-' fore do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

' Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A combination exercise and amusement device comprising (a) an elongated member having (b) body encircling loops at opposite ends thereof adapted to encircle the body of two persons standing apart with respect to each other,

(0) a tubular member through which said elongated member is threaded and which is of a length substantially shorter than the length of said elongated member,

(11) a spherical member spaced laterally from the long axis of the tubular member,

(e) and means for connecting said spherical member to said tubular member for rotation'circumferentially about and in spaced relation to the long axis of the tubular member, the rotation of said spherical member being the result of elliptical movement imparted to said tubular member relative to its long axis by movement of that portion of the body of said persons encircled by said loops while said persons maintain said elongated member in a substantially taut condition.

2. A combination exercise and amusement device comp-rising (a) a flexible tubular cord folded lengthwise upon itself to provide at opposite ends thereof (b) body encircling loops adapted to encircle the body I of two persons standing apart with respect to each other,

(c) a tubular hub through which said cord is threaded and which is of a length substantially shorter than the length of said cord,

(e) an elongated flexible member having one end connected to said spherical member and an opposite end formed to provide a loop encircling said hub for rotation therea'bout, the rotation of said spherical member being the result of elliptical movement imparted to said tubular member relative to its long axis by movement of that portion of the body of said persons encircled by said loops while said persons maintain said cord in a substantially taut condition.

3. A combination exercise and amusement device comprising (a) a flexible plastic tubular cord folded lengthwise upon itself to provide at opposite ends thereof (b) body encircling loops adapted to encircle the body of two persons standing apart with respect to each other,

(0) a tubular hub through which said cord is threaded and which is of a length substantially shorter than the length of said cord,

(d) a ball having as its axis of rotation said hub,

(e) an elongated flexible plastic member having one end connected to said ball and an opposite end formed to provide a loop loosely encircling said hub for free rotation thereabout, the-rotation of said ball being the result of elliptical movement imparted to said tubular member relative to its long axis by movement of that portion of the body of said persons encircled by said loops While said persons maintain said cord in a substantially taut condition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,782,254 Briedenbach Nov. 18, 1930 2,937,023 Seymour et al. May 17, 1960 2,999,333 Clark Sept. 12, 1961 

1. A COMBINATION EXERCISE AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE COMPRISING (A) AN ELONGATED MEMBER HAVING (B) BODY ENCIRCLING LOOPS AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE THE BODY OF TWO PERSONS STANDING APART WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, (C) A TUBULAR MEMBER THROUGH WHICH SAID ELONGATED MEMBER IS THREADED AND WHICH IS OF A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY SHORTER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, (D) A SPHERICAL MEMBER SPACED LATERALLY FROM THE LONG AXIS OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER, (E) AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID SPHERICAL MEMBER TO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER FOR ROTATION CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT AND IN SPACED RELATION TO THE LONG AXIS OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER, THE ROTATION OF SAID SPHERICAL MEMBER BEING THE RESULT OF ELLIPTICAL MOVEMENT IMPARTED TO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER RELATIVE TO ITS LONG AXIS BY MOVEMENT OF THAT PORTION OF THE BODY OF SAID PERSONS ENCIRCLED BY SAID LOOPS WHILE SAID PERSONS MAINTAIN SAID ELONGATED MEMBER IN A SUBSTANTIALLY TAUT CONDITION. 